The field of the present invention is firearm safety devices.
Many people wish to have firearms readily available for self defense. When there is no perceived threat, a hand gun may be stored in a specific place from which it may be taken to be used after a threat appears. The storage places vary greatly. Some may be rooms deemed secure, others may be locked storage devices such as quick opening safes and still others may be as close to the user as a holster strapped to the user's body. Such a gun is typically desired to enter a state of increased readiness when it is taken from the storage place into the direct control of the user. A safety system that arms a gun when the gun is removed from the storage place is desirable.
But, at a later time the user may put the gun down from his hand or otherwise relinquish direct control of the gun and for various reasons not return the gun to the safe place of storage. Or the gun may be taken from the user and used by another person as an additional threat. A safety system that disarms a gun when the direct control of the gun's user is released is also desirable.
A typical situation where these two goals interact occurs when a person awakens to a unrecognized sound at night and takes a gun from a quick opening storage safe. After searching for the source the person lays the gun down and returns to bed. If there are children in the house, a child may find the gun and a tragic accident may result. Such situations are commonly reported in the media. In another possibility, the homeowner may be surprised by an intruder, the gun knocked out of the homeowner's hand and a struggle may ensue. It is desirable that the intruder not be able to use the gun against the homeowner.
Smart guns which use various means to specifically identify the user have met with substantial resistance in the market place. Many people fear that such guns will be mandated by governmental authorities if they become available or commonplace or that governmental authorities will take control of the guns with some overriding technical means. Many gun dealers have refused to sell smart guns.
There is a need for a system of protection from use of a gun by an unauthorized person by means that are broader than identification of the user.
Operative control of the ability of a firearm to discharge by means of a wireless link is well known to persons skilled in the design of smart guns. One system for implementing such control is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,232 A to Rhoden, which is hereby incorporated by reference and herein referred to as Rhoden.
This and all other referenced patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Operative control of the ability of a firearm to discharge on the basis of the location of the weapon is well known to persons skilled in the design of smart guns. U.S. Pat. No. 8,166,693 B2 to Hughes herein referred to as Hughes describes one such system and is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. Hughes differs from the present invention in several ways. In particular, Hughes contemplates the control of a weapon by means of a logical device with an external data input combined with the presence of the weapon in a defined location called a zone. Hughes does not contemplate the control of a weapon by the presence of the weapon simultaneously in two separately designated zones.